Saturday, June 10, 2006
of beauty

i remember you. quite, quite clearly. you were like wine. which, if you recall, i prefer flavoured. i was reading something that brought you back to mind. normally i keep you hidden at the back, but the resemblance is quite startling in this instance. i don't know french, so the literal translation was used as a reference. sometimes i wish i were more linguistic, but oh well. (i don't mean to be annoyingly cryptic, but.. enjoy? or burn and die, hah!)

Hymne à la Beauté
Hymn to Beauty

Viens-tu du ciel profond ou sors-tu de l'abîme
Do you come from the profound heavens or emerge from the abyss
O Beauté? ton regard, infernal et divin,
O Beauty? your gaze, infernal and divine,
Verse confusément le bienfait et le crime,
Mixes in confusion good deeds and bad,
Et l'on peut pour cela te comparer au vin.
And for that you can be compared to wine.

Tu contiens dans ton œil le couchant et l'aurore;
Your eye holds both sunset and dawn;
Tu répands des parfums comme un soir orageux;
You spread scents like a stormy evening;
Tes baisers sont un philtre et ta bouche une amphore
Your kisses are a philtre, and your mouth an amphora
Qui font le héros lâche et l'enfant courageux.
Which makes a hero a coward, and a child courageous.

Sors-tu du gouffre noir ou descends-tu des astres?
Do you emerge from the darkness of the chasm or descend from the stars?
Le Destin charmé suit tes jupons comme un chien;
Charmed Destiny follows your skirt-tails like a dog;
Tu sèmes au hasard la joie et les désastres,
You haphazardly sow joy and disaster,
Et tu gouvernes tout et ne réponds de rien.
And you govern all and hold responsibility for nothing.

Tu marches sur des morts, Beauté, dont tu te moques;
You walk upon dead men, Beauty, whom you mock;
De tes bijoux l'Horreur n'est pas le moins charmant,
Horror is not the least charming of your jewels,
Et le Meurtre, parmi tes plus chères breloques,
And Murder, among your dearest toys,
Sur ton ventre orgueilleux danse amoureusement.
Dances lovingly upon your proud belly.

L'éphémère ébloui vole vers toi, chandelle,
The dazed mayfly flies towards you, candle,
Crépite, flambe et dit: Bénissons ce flambeau!
Crackles, catches fire, and cries: Let us bless this flame!
L'amoureux pantelant incliné sur sa belle
The panting lover leaning over his beauty
A l'air d'un moribond caressant son tombeau.
Looks like a dead man caressing his tomb.

Que tu viennes du ciel ou de l'enfer, qu'importe,
Whether you come from heaven or from hell, what does it matter,
O Beauté! monstre énorme, effrayant, ingénu!
O Beauty! enormous, terrifying, innocent monster!
Si ton œil, ton souris, ton pied, m'ouvrent la porte
If your eye, your smile, your foot, open a door for me
D'un Infini que j'aime et n'ai jamais connu?
Into an Infinite which I love and have never known?

De Satan ou de Dieu, qu'importe? Ange ou Sirène,
From Satan or from God, what does it matter? Angel or Siren,
Qu'importe, si tu rends, - fée aux yeux de velours,
What does it matter if you render - fairy with velvet eyes,
Rythme, parfum, lueur, ô mon unique reine! -
Rhythm, scent, glow, o my only queen!-
L'univers moins hideux et les instants moins lourds?
The universe less hideous, and the moments less heavy?

i tear dramatically. or did that ruin it for you? and nope, i didn't study afterall. got too caught up reading. read a couple of pages of lolita, decided to save it for the coach journey on monday. i like his style, and the foreword almost succeeded in confusing me. fortunately i'm a big fan of metafiction. oh yeah i think i forgot to mention. lolita was a gift from my sister. very appropriate eighteenth birthday present, i know, but we couldn't find it in the libraries. hardly ever find what i'm looking for there, but occasionally come across great books in the bigger ones. unfortunately, all this translates into my being unable to get any work done (oh, gp *dies dramatically*), much less studying.. i hate love. have i said that before? let me repeat myself. i hate love. sweet oxy-morons. shall pack tomorrow. i love ally's photography. remind me to fall in love with an artist. *thinks of sam's mountain man and sniggers* haha sam, we're just kidding around, you know.. a mountaineer would be perfect for you. honest!
10:58 PM ; 5 comments